Happy Birthday to you, unnamed Cambodian monarch…

Yes, that’s right; it’s that time of year again: when all the little Cambodian boys and girls don their best celebratory garb and prance about in the masks of dragons in homage to their wonderful king (I made that up). Simply put, it’s the King’s birthday! And what does that mean for your favorite Cambodian dwellers? Holiday!!! I know it’s hard to believe that we are heading into another holiday break, but all of our students have gone back to their “homeland,” as they so aptly put it, and we ourselves are headed down to Sihanoukville for an ELIC team retreat. It should be a nice getaway from the big city; a time for our team to reconnect; and a time for me (Ben) to win some Settlers of Catan.  

On the NPIC front, we have started class—well, started class is a bit of a stretch. I should say we have been assigned classes, met with some students, and watched as a whole bunch of other students skipped their first two classes, because, after all, “next week is the King’s birthday.” We also watched as the rice farmers behind our dormitory planted this year’s coming harvest through the mounting heat and humidity. Now, Andrea told me to write something about the heat, but she also told me not to stretch the truth, so, seriously, it’s like 147 degrees outside with like 200 percent humidity; in a word, Hades. This, of course, makes sleeping through the night difficult, since we consistently have a nightly four-to-seven hour power outage that cuts off our air conditioner. All in all though, NPIC has been great. Why, just last week, Andrea, Regan, and I went out to Neo Suki with our Korean counterparts to eat some Asian fondue (boiled squid, octopus, and fish balls—yum!). We had a great conversation with Mr. Cho, NPIC’s foreign affairs liaison, about how the clothes of South Koreans are never dirty or tattered—amazing!

Oh, also, Regan and I are beginning the first steps down that long road called verbal communication. Our typical banter might go something like this: “Ohh, ahh,” Regan would say in her best high pitched voice; to which I would reply, “boo, eah,” my voice cracking in the upper register. This playful back and forth would usually go on for about three or four minutes before Regan, starting to cry, would be in dire need of a cuddle. Also, her poops are getting pretty crazy—whoa, watch out! It’s pretty neat. Regan’s really digs her First Focus book too; and who wouldn’t, it’s a book with nothing but pictures of cats, cows, and tractors—sweet!

Not that we are counting down or anything, but the day of our arrival on the beautiful and fertile soils of America is only about seven weeks away. Sophie, Andrea’s sister, will be coming to visit us the last week of our time in Cambodia, and both of us are really looking forward to seeing her in Phnom Penh.

As Garrison Keillor would put, “That’s the news from Lake Wobegon.”

I hope all is well with you,

Ben